Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce to host marketing workshop in Shelton

SHELTON - The Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce and Pepperland Marketing, a Google Partner agency, have teamed up to help small businesses in the Lower Naugatuck Valley grow their presence online by hosting a Let’s Put Our Valley on the Map workshop.

The workshop will feature two interactive sessions: “How To Reach A Local Audience Through Google Search and Google Maps” and “An Introduction To Inbound Marketing.”  

The free workshop will be held from 7:30-9 a.m. Thursday at the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce office, 10 Progress Drive.

Register here: http://go.pepperlandmarketing.com/lets-put-the-valley-on-the-map-free-event 

Let’s Put Our Valley on the Map is part of Google’s Get Your Business Online program and aims to bring community members, business owners and civic leaders together to help small businesses succeed on the web.

“Four out of 5 consumers use search engines to find local information nearby, yet only 37percent of businesses have claimed their listing on a search engine,” says Soo Young Kim, Head of Small Business Engagement at Google. “Small businesses are the engine of local economies and when they flourish, their communities do as well.”

“Closing this gap presents a huge opportunity to boost the local economy,” said Bill Purcell, President of the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce. 
“This is a chance for Valley area businesses to collectively expand their online presence and further promote the region as the premier destination for business and leisure.”

Anyone interested in reaching a local audience online to grow their business is encouraged to attend, regardless of their company size or industry. Attendees will be treated to coffee and light refreshments. Advanced registration is required.

“Consumers now begin their holiday shopping online as early as August. If you can’t be found on Google, you’re missing out on a valuable opportunity,” says Sean Henri, founder of Pepperland Marketing. 
“In partnering with Google for this workshop, we hope to give Valley businesses a competitive advantage as we approach the busy holiday shopping season.”

Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map is a program designed to empower communities to support their local businesses and encourage them to get on the map. Local businesses keep our communities strong; when we help them succeed on the web, they make our communities even stronger. The Let’s Put Our Valley on the Map workshop is a Google presentation hosted by Pepperland Marketing and the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce. Visit www.gybo.com to learn more about the program and get involved.

About Pepperland Marketing

Pepperland Marketing is an inbound marketing agency devoted to helping businesses turn visitors into leads and leads into customers through inbound marketing. As a Google Partner and Hubspot Partner, Pepperland integrates best-of-breed solutions with best-in-class marketing strategies to create an “always on” inbound demand generation engine that accelerates business growth through online channels.

About The Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce

Founded in 1964, this dynamic, pro-active organization lives by its motto, “Advancing the Regional Agenda through Business Leadership.” 
The Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce represents the Connecticut business community of Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, and Shelton. 

The Chamber is currently comprised of approximately 600 members, which encompass a cross-section of our area’s businesses with representation from manufacturing, retail, service, bio-tech, and corporate businesses from home-based sole proprietors to large corporations with multiple branches.

About Get Your Business Online

Get Your Business Online is a fast, easy, and free way for small businesses to get online. While 97 percent of consumers look online for local products and services, 55 percent of small businesses do not have a website. 

Get Your Business Online provides small businesses with a free website as well as free tools, training, and resources to help their business succeed online.

This is a press release from the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Derby Historical Society docents demonstrate open hearth cooking

One of five fireplaces in the David Humphreys House, 37 Elm St., Ansonia.

ANSONIA - The David Humphreys House was the place to be this afternoon to learn about 18th-century cooking practices and to taste food prepared by Derby Historical Society docents.

Visitors enjoyed hot apple cider, beef stew, vegetable soup, corn bread, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, white pot (a bread pudding with cranberries) and apple cake.

Daughter Allegra was one of the docents; her job was to make two apple cakes in cast-iron pots next to the fire. 

Photos below:

 

Docent Dawn Sotir works in the keeping room at the David Humphreys House Saturday.

Allegra adds cinnamon sugar to the top of the first apple cake. 

The finished product. It was delicious!

Here she is getting coals to cover the cast-iron Dutch oven containing a second cake.

The cake cooks with coals underneath and on top of the Dutch oven. 

Herbs drying over the fireplace in the keeping room.

And a seasonal display was set up in a corner of the keeping room.


Next month the historical society will hold its annual Christmas Fair and Cookie Walk from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Humphreys House.

Save the date! It promises to be a fun event. 

Hull family of Derby in 1812 topic of Shelton educator's talk at reception

Carolyn Ivanoff
(www. civilwar.org photo)

ANSONIA - The Derby Historical Society will hold its 25th annual appeal reception from 5-7 p.m. Monday at Molto Bene Italian American Kitchen, 557 Wakelee Ave.

The featured speaker is Seymour resident Carolyn Ivanoff, a Housemaster at Shelton Intermediate School, who speaks and writes frequently on American history.

She will present "Fame and Infamy for the Hulls of Derby in 1812."

In 2003 Ivanoff was named Civil War Trust Preservationist Teacher of the Year.

The Dr. John Ireland Howe Award will be presented to Martha Dulla-Andrade for her many years of service to the Valley.

Ticket price is a donation of $45 or more to the annual appeal. 

For information about the historical society visit www.derbyhistorical.org.

Celebrate Shelton launches holiday handmade markets

SHELTON - Celebrate Shelton creators Nicole Heriot-Mikula, Michael Skrtic and Jimmy Tickey are excited to announce upcoming Celebrate Shelton events, all being held in the Conti Building, 415 Howe Ave., unless otherwise noted:

Plaid Friday Kick-Off Market

Nov. 27, 4-8 p.m.

$5 entry. Includes hors d'oeuvres, give-a-ways, Plaid Friday specials, live music and over 40 handmade artisan vendors.

Small Business Saturday Market

Nov. 28, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Free entry. This special market – in conjunction with the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce – features live music and over 40 handmade artisan vendors.

Community Tree Lighting

Dec. 4, 5:30 p.m. @ Veterans Memorial Park

Free entry. Join us for our Second Annual Community Tree Lighting at Veterans Memorial Park along with a performance by Center Stage, and a special appearance by Santa!

Sponsored by Celebrate Shelton, City of Shelton and the Valley Community Foundation.

Holiday Handmade Markets

Dec. 5, 12,19, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Free entry. Featuring live music and over 75 handmade artisan vendors! Each week we will have new and different vendors than the week before, so please keep coming back throughout December!

Each month, a collection of local artisans, craftsmen and small businesses showcase their wares at Celebrate Shelton’s Downtown Handmade Market. 

The full list of artisans include: The Little Dog Laughed, TJJ Sews, Quark Tees, Lisa's Soaps, Sugar Pop Crochet, Oronoque Farms, Tipsy Cones, Kohler Imaging, BBA Bracelets, Moon Rocks Cookies, Bead Dangle Design, Special Treats, Grateful Pawz, Lilla Rose. Reid's BBQ Sauces and Rubs Liquid Lunch/GROW, Little Feet, KnitBeadRepeat, Hipponotic Candle, Woody Things, Tori Divina Jewelry, Shimmer and Sugar, Re-Designed by Elizabeth, Kindred Lynx Crafts & Crystals, Patty's Pies n' Such, Quilts by Nancy, Stonehill Designs, Billie’s Vintage Duds and Spirit and Sage. Conti Building Shops include: BrintheHoopla, The Glass Source, Periodic Tableware, Flowers de Jardin, Memories from Aunt Helen’s Attic, Written Words Bookstore, Periodic Tableware, and Nikki’s Attic.

Celebrate Shelton's Holiday Downtown Handmade Markets are sponsored by: Bricks & Barley, Electri-Cable Assemblies, Bic Corp., and People's Bank.

Celebrate Shelton, a city-wide initiative, was created by small business owners Nicole Heriot-Mikula, Michael Skrtic, and Jimmy Tickey.

Learn more about Celebrate Shelton at www.celebrateshelton.com and follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/celebrateshelton) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/celebshelton). 

For any questions, email celebrateshelton@gmail.com or call 203-924-4368.

This is a press release from Celebrate Shelton.    

Re-posting: Community breakfast slated Saturday in Ansonia

Enjoy breakfast with Santa in Oxford for a good cause

OXFORD - Ho, ho, ho. It's almost that time of year.

On Dec. 19 enjoy a delicious, family-style meal with some of your favorite characters like Santa, Mrs. Claus, Elsa, and Anna! 
The event starts at 8:30 a.m. at Colonial Tavern, 24 Hawley Road.

The meal includes pancakes, sausage or bacon, juice, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.

Admission for adults and children ages 3 and up is $6; and $2 for ages 2 and under.
Tickets are available at www.ctpfc.org.

This event is sponsored by Great Expectations Day Care & Learning Center of Southbury to benefit the Seymour-based Connecticut Partnership for Children, Inc.


*Information shared from a Connecticut Partnership for Children, Inc. Facebook page. 

Seymour High students take part in virtual simulated driving program

Students James Harnish, left, and Joe Pasterella participate in a safe driving initiative this week at Seymour High School./Contributed photo 

SEYMOUR - Teen drivers at Seymour High School had a special opportunity this week to utilize the school's virtual interactive full-cab driving simulators which are part of the "Wildcat Teen Driving Center" at the school.  

Seymour is the only school in Connecticut with Virtual Interactive Full-Cab Driving Simulators available to its students. 
This was all part of a teen safe driving initiative held at the school. 
It was coordinated by Rich Kearns, Seymour Public Schools Director of Security.  

From left: Lucas Brown, Jaylin Kelly, Tamar Coverson-Epps.

Teens who signed-up for a special event appointment to use the Center were put through hands-on driving experiences showing the dangers of texting while driving. 

Students who participated were given certificates of safe driving to present to their insurance companies for potential safe driving discounts as well as gift cards for participating.   

To cap off the week the nationally-known teen safe driving program "Save a Life Tour Distracted/Texting Awareness  Program" from Grand Rapids, Mich. was invited back to make a stop at Seymour High School.  

Ashley Bercier, left, and Kayla Christansen

The program travels across the country educating teens in the responsibilities of safe driving focusing on the dangers of distracted/texting while driving. 

The Connecticut Department of Transportation provided the funding for the "Save A Life Tour Distracted/Texting Awareness Program" at 60 more high schools in Connecticut beginning in the fall of 2015 at no cost to the hosting schools. 
Seymour was one of the lucky schools to be able to capture the experience for its students. 

The "Save A Life Tour" is a high impact distracted driving program that demonstrates to students the potential deadly consequences of this dangerous behavior. Utilizing distracted driving simulators, videos, speakers, and surveys; students experience first-hand the impacts of distracted driving.

More than 200 students from Seymour High School participated in this life changing experience. 

Kearns was joined by School Resource Officer Corey Tomasella, and Physical Education/Health Teachers Nick Aprea and Paul O'Connor who teamed up to help run the program.


This is a press release from Richard Kearns, Director of Security, Seymour Public Schools.